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Spring is a great time to put your house on the market. As the tulips and daffodils have started to bloom, many buyers begin the search for their new dream home.

We have all heard that saying, it’s time for “spring cleaning”, which is really is a necessity whenselling your home.

In conjunction with spring cleaning and decluttering, staging is a great way to receive an offer quickly. Staging is a process in which the home is strategically decorated, arranged and presented to attract buyers, and a closet should not be left out of this process.

It is easy to turn a blind eye to your messy closet, close the door while stuffing things into stacks that may or may not fall over and keep adding more to your wardrobe along the way. For a potential buyer, this is quite unattractive and concerning. A buyer needs to know they have room for their personal belongings.

This doesn’t mean you have to live up to the closets of a movie star, but, you should be putting your best foot forward. So, let’s go over some quick and easy tips for “spring cleaning” closets and staging them for appeal.

Time to Purge – Tips to Let it Go

When you are prepping your home to go on the market, you should go through each and every closet to purge. Yes, this means linen closets and coat closets as well. We all know how difficult it can be to let go, but here are a few tips that make the process less painful:

• If you have not worn it or used it in a year, then it should go.
• Torn and tattered, then it should go.
• Too small or too big due to weight loss or gain, then it should go.
• You borrowed it from a friend and forgot to give it back, then it should go.

Often times there are items in your closet that do not need to be in there at the present, but you should keep, so invest in some bins or boxes to organize those items neatly. Try to store them at a family member’s home or a storage facility in the meantime just so they are out of the way. And of course, any borrowed items, return them to their original owners.

What to Do With the Purged Items

There are numerous options when it comes to unwanted or unused items in your household. As you are cleaning out your closets start piles that you can box up or put in bins for their final resting place. Great ideas for those goods you no longer use:

• Have a yard sale to make a little extra cash.
• Donate to a local Goodwill or Salvation Army.
• Donate to a local organization that needs your particular types of items. For example, many community organizations need professional clothing for men and women seeking employment.
• Gently used towels and blankets are often welcome at local pet shelters.

A yard sale may take some extra time and planning, but the other options are typically quick and do not take a whole lot of coordination. Plus, if you need, a donation is a tax write-off as well.

Clean the Area

After your purge, it is a great time to clean the entire area. Dust, pet hair, broken jewelry, and mismatched socks can end up in the dark corners left to build up over time. Make sure you are cleaning all the nooks and crannies of your space.

Hardwood floors should be swept and mopped, while carpeted floors should be vacuumed. Wipe down the walls and be sure you reach into the furthest corners for any cobwebs lurking.

This is a great time to assess your walls and lighting within your closet as well. With everything cleaned out, you can see if your walls have become dingy or if it is just too dark.

To brighten up the area, consider painting the walls white or a warm beige, changing light bulbs and adding light if there is no lighting. Battery operated lights often come with a sticky backing so adhering them to shelves is easy and is a great solution to create ambiance in a closet.

Let’s not forget our closets contain a lot of items that can create odors over time such as gym shoes, gym bags or even old socks. So, it is a great idea to work on freshening up with these easy tips:

• Tuck dryer sheets in various pant pockets or in shoes.
• Use scented sashes in your drawers.
• Create a mood by displaying a diffuser with a fresh scent on a shelf.
• Discreetly place an air freshener behind shoe containers.

When adding scented products to your closet, be sure to follow the less is more rule. You do not want to give the buyer the impression your home has an odor they may not be able to get rid of.

Let the Staging Fun Begin

Many of us are not big fans of organizing, especially when it comes to closets, however, staging your closet can be fun. You cleaned out the unwanted items and clutter, so now the process is an adventure.

Depending on the size of your closet, there are a variety of ways to stage, so explore your options based on the type and size of the space, but in the meantime, these tips are must do’s:  

• Color coordinate your items. If you do this, suddenly your closet will be appealing to the eye.
• Use the same hangers throughout. Choose a neutral color hanger to create a calming and unified look.
• Space your hangers around two inches apart. This will create the illusion there is more space than there may be.
• All clothes should be hanging in the same direction.
• Organize hanging items by length.
• Put away personal items. If you have photos, jewelry or work items lying out, tuck them away in a tray or drawer as to keep the space decluttered.
• Shoes should never be on the floor. Find an organizational system for your shoes such as a hanging shoe rack, containers that are all the same for each pair or under the bed storage that is not noticeable.
• Create a division of various categories. Use a divider system to create cohesiveness between your folded clothing and your hats, for example.
• Any bins, containers or organizational systems you add should be in neutrally coordinated colors to create a cohesive and calming effect.

All of these cost effective and easy tips will create an appealing white space effect. Your closet will feel spacious and luxurious all while giving your buyers a chance to envision their personal items perfectly nestled away in their organized home.

So, don’t leave your closet out of the staging process. It is just as important, if not more important, than other areas in the rest of the home.  

If you are unsure about how to stage your home and would rather speak to a professional who can help you, real estate experts atJensen and Company are always happy to assist you and your family with all of your selling needs.